GERMANTOWN, Md. -
Top-seeded Maryland will play for its third title in five seasons when it faces #2 North Carolina Sunday in the 2012 ACC Men's Soccer Championship at the Maryland SoccerPlex. Kickoff is slated for noon on ESPNU.

The Terps (16-1-2) utilized a tenacious second-half effort to defeat fourth-seeded Clemson 2-1 in double overtime Friday night in the semifinals. Patrick Mullins netted the equalizer in the 84th minute before an own goal lifted Maryland to the title match in the 103rd minute.

North Carolina (15-2-2) needed penalty kicks to dispense of Virginia in Friday's first semifinal. The defending national champions boast a 0.20 goals against average in 2012 and head into Sunday's match riding a 470-minute shutout streak.

Maryland defeated the Tar Heels 1-0 on a rainy night in College Park Oct. 19. The Terps lead the all-time series 44-23-4, including a 5-1 mark in the ACC tournament. Maryland is playing for its fifth conference tournament crown (1996, 2002, 2008, 2010).

· The Terps have reloaded for the 2012 campaign, head coach Sasho Cirovski's 20th at Maryland. With a talented recruiting class and the return of All-American midfielder John Stertzer, there is plenty of room for optimism as Maryland aims to return to the College Cup for the first time since 2008 when it captured the national championship.

· Patrick Mullins has been the offensive Most Valuable Player thus far, registering team-highs in goals (13), assists (8) and points (34). Stertzer has been steady as ever, tallying seven goals and six assists while mentoring a very young midfield.

· Taylor Kemp has battled injury in his return as a starter for the fourth season. The senior captain, along with Stertzer, was tabbed to the 2012 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. He has teamed up with senior London Woodberry to lead the squad on defense. Instrumental to the backline is the rookie duo of Dakota Edwards and Mikey Ambrose. Ambrose is the only player to start every match in 2012.

· Maryland has looked to its youth to seal up the goal as sophomore Keith Cardona and redshirt freshman Jordan Tatum have split time in net, with Cardona starting the majority of the season.

· Patrick Mullins evened the match at 1-1 with his league-leading 13th goal of the year in the 84th minute before the Terps, after outshooting Clemson 10-5 following a trying first stanza, benefited from an own goal after a corner kick from Helge Leikvang in the 103rd minute.

Cirovski Picks up Win No. 300 at Maryland· With a gritty 2-1 double overtime victory against Clemson Friday night, Sasho Cirovski racked up his 300th victory with the Terps.

· Cirovski, who is in his 20th season at Maryland, owns a 300-116-28 record with the Terps.

#1 Terps Defeat #2 UNC in Instant Classic · Schillo Tshuma redirected a Patrick Mullins shot late in the first overtime period to lift the No. 1 Maryland men's soccer team over No. 2 North Carolina at Ludwig Field on Oct. 19.

· A crowd of 7,340, the second highest in Maryland soccer history, saw a quality contest with the top-ranked teams in the country going back and forth on a water-logged field.

· North Carolina was able to beat Maryland on the counter and create their best chance of the night late in regulation. Junior forward Robert Lovejoy was taken down in the box late by Tshuma, but Maryland keeper Keith Cardona came up huge, saving Lovejoy's penalty and midfielder Verneri Valimaa's follow-up.

Terps in the ACC Tournament in 2011· No. 7 seed Boston College scored two first half goals in a span of four minutes to defeat No.2 Maryland 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the ACC Men's Soccer Championship Tuesday at Ludwig Field.

· Despite outshooting the Eagles 18-9, the defending ACC champion Terrapins could not overcome the early two goal deficit to advance in the tournament.

Mullins Tabbed Co-ACC Player of the Week · Junior forward Patrick Mullins was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Week, announced by conference officials following a pair of victories against North Carolina and Colgate.

· Mullins led top-ranked Maryland to a 2-0-0 week including a 1-0 win over No. 2 North Carolina in overtime. Mullins started the week with a goal and an assist in a 2-0 win over Colgate, before delivering the game-winning assist in the victory over the Tar Heels.

· Mullins was also tabbed to TopDrawerSoccer.com's national team of the week.

Winnin' Like It's 1968· With a 14-0-1 record to start the 2012 season, Maryland matched its best start since the 1968 season when the Terps were co-national champions. Maryland tied Michigan State in the national championship game.

· The Terps were 11-0-1 to start the 2011 campaign.

Tshuma Power· Freshman sensation Schillo Tshuma has been tremendous in his rookie campaign, tallying a class-high seven goals in 2012.

· In total, Maryland rookies have accounted for 15 goals and 14 assists this season.

Cirovski, Mullins Garner Top ACC Honors· Sasho Cirovski and junior Patrick Mullins were named the 2012 Atlantic Coast Conference Coach and Offensive Player of the Year, respectively, Thursday.

· Cirovski led Maryland to ts best start in program history (14-0-1) en route to its first conference regular season championship since 2005. The award is Cirovski's third at Maryland and first since 2005.

· Mullins garnered top offensive honors after a spectacular junior campaign which has seen the New Orleans, La., native set career highs in goals, assists and points. Mullins is the first Terrapin to rack up top conference player honors since Omar Gonzalez was named ACC Defender of the Year in 2007.

Shutting it Down· Maryland boasts eight shutouts this season, tying its season total from a year ago.

· Maryland established records for shutouts in a season with 15 in 2008 and 2010. The Terps won ACC titles in each of those seasons.

Kemp Named Senior CLASS Candidate· Taylor Kemp has been named a candidate for the 2012 Senior CLASS Award.

· Kemp, a four-year starter for Maryland, has been a mainstay in the backline since his arrival in 2009. The senior captain from Highlands Ranch, Colo., was a second team All-ACC pick in 2011.

· Kemp is a two-time Academic All-ACC selection, boasting a 3.303 grade point average in the challenging Robert H. Smith School of Business. He also volunteers as part of Maryland's reading program and Relay for Life.

· Coming off a tough draw to No. 11 UCLA on Friday, the Terps battled through rain to score their highest goal tally in nearly two years. Patrick Mullins led Maryland with three points on a goal and two assists. Jordan Cyrus picked up two late goals to give the Terps their second win of the year.

Maryland Nets Tie with UCLA, 2-2· In a battle of two perennial college soccer powers, the No. 6 Maryland men's soccer team drew with No. 11 UCLA 2-2 on an energy-fueled night at Ludwig Field.

· Dan Metzger and John Stertzer both scored for Maryland. Stertzer netted the equalizer on a penalty kick in the 68th minute.

· The attendance of 6,562 was the then-sixth highest in Maryland men's soccer history.

Balance Across the Board· A total of 18 players have notched a goal and/or an assist through 19 games this season.

· 12 players have scored at least one goal. That is the highest number of players to score of any team ranked nationally in the top 25.

Magic Mullins· Patrick Mullins' distributing has been a pleasant addition to the junior's game in 2012.

· The New Orleans, La., product has eight assists through 19 games.

· He had seven assists total heading into this season.

· The captain also leads Maryland in goals with 13, including six game-winners.

Stertzer Nabs ACC Player of the Week Honor· Senior midfielder John Stertzer was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week for his role in Maryland's 3-0 shutout of No. 7 Louisville.

· The MAC Hermann Trophy candidate gave Maryland a three-goal cushion with his goal late in the second half. Stertzer also played an instrumental role on defense as he helped the Terps preserve their first shutout of 2012 and avenge their third round loss against the Cardinals in the NCAA tournament last season.

· Stertzer was also tabbed to TopDrawerSoccer.com's national team of the week.

Terp Duo Named to MAC Hermann Trophy List· Maryland seniors Taylor Kemp and John Stertzer were named nominees for the 2012 MAC Hermann Trophy, the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer.

· Kemp is a four-year starter in Maryland's backline. The Highlands Ranch, Colo., native has started in all 66 games he's appeared in heading into this season, aiding the Terps to an impressive 48-13-6 record. One of the top attacking defenders in the nation, Kemp has also netted a pair of goals and added 11 assists.

· Stertzer had a breakout campaign in 2011, netting NSCAA Third Team All-America honors after boasting a career-high 14 goals. The Oakton, Va., product, was also a First Team All-ACC selection. He tallied a squad-best five game-winners.

Terp Rookies Looking to Make Impact· Head coach Sasho Cirovski announced the Terps' 2012 signing class, his 20th at Maryland, this spring.

19 and Counting!· With a 16-1-2 record this season, Maryland has clinched yet another winning season - its 19th consecutive.

· Prior to this season, Maryland averaged 15.5 wins per season since 1994. The Terps have had three 20+ win seasons in that span and have hit the 15-victory mark 11 times.

Protect This House· Maryland is tremendous at its home venue, Ludwig Field, boasting a 178-37-14 record since the facility was built in 1995.

· The Terps have not lost more than two games at home in a season since 2001, recording a 112-12-10 record in the last 10 years.

Lovin' Ludwig!· There are few venues in all of college athletics quite like the always-raucous Ludwig Field on the campus of the University of Maryland.

· Last season, Maryland averaged 3,781 fans per game and boasted three of the top ten single-game attendance figures in the nation. Excluding football and men's basketball, only three other Division I programs in any sport in the area outdrew the Terps' soccer program on average during the 2010-11 school year.

Head Coach Sasho Cirovski
· The winningest head coach in Maryland men's soccer annals, Sasho Cirovski returns for his 20th season at the helm of the prestigious Terp program.

Fan Friendly Ludwig Field· The Maryland men's soccer team has increasingly attracted more and more fans to Ludwig Field season after season. Heading into this season, nearly 375,000 fans have filled the stands to take in exciting Terrapin soccer action since the facility opened in 1995.

· The Terps set a Ludwig Field record Oct. 14, 2011 when 7,957 fans watched Maryland defeat Duke on a perfect College Park night set with fireworks. Maryland averaged nearly 4,000 fans per game in 2011.

The Terps When (2012)...

Maryland

Tendency

Overall Record

16-1-2

Home

11-0-2

Away

4-1-0

Neutral

1-0-0

ACC Record

6-1-1

Non-Conference Record

10-0-1

Day Games

0-0-0

Night Games

16-1-2

Leading after first half

11-1-1

Trailing after first half

2-0-1

In overtime

2-0-2

Maryland has more shots

15-0-2

Opponent has more shots

0-1-0

Maryland has more saves

2-0-0

Opponent has more saves

11-1-2

Maryland wins more corners

14-0-1

Opponent wins more corners

2-1-1

Maryland scores first

12-0-1

Opponent scores first

4-1-1

Games decided by one goal

9-0-0

Games decided by 2-3 goals

4-1-0

Games decided by 4 or more goals

3-0-0

vs. top 25 ranked opponents

4-1-1

vs. unranked opponents

12-0-1

On Sunday

2-0-0

On Monday

1-0-0

On Tuesday

5-0-0

On Wednesday

0-0-0

On Thursday

0-1-0

On Friday

7-0-1

On Saturday

1-0-1

Games in August

1-0-1

Games in September

7-0-0

Games in October

6-0-1

Games in November

1-1-0

Games in December

0-0-0

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Media Information· Terps on the Web: For up-to-date game stories, statistics, schedules and results, and other Maryland athletic department information, please log-on to www.umterps.com on the Internet.

· GameTracker: Follow Terps games live in 2012 on your computer with GameTracker. Links for all games that will be available can be found at www.umterps.com.